Summary: Imprev is arguably the best option if you want a reliable, high-quality solution that you will turn to each time you want to promote yourself or a property. Quality of design, ease of use and breadth of product choices have led Imprev to be regarded as the leading provider in the industry. Imprev is a particularly compelling provider for large real estate firms or brokers that want to provide a marketing solution for all their agents.

Description: Imprev is a developer of enterprise-class, turnkey marketing technology which powers both an online retail interface (http://www.imprev.net), and (according to the Imprev website) private-label marketing centers for large firms like RE/MAX and Royal LePage. When you sign up for the retail site (the Agent Marketing Center), you’re getting essentially the same tools those large firms are providing to their own agents.

Imprev charges an annual fee, so it works best for agents who expect to use the system on a regular basis. Access to a library of designs will allow you to present a consistent look and feel. Cost-savings on services like printing can make up for the annual fee (versus vendors who charge on a per-use basis) after as little as one listing, depending on how much printing you do. The inclusion of both print and multimedia delivers cost-savings out of the box versus maintaining one vendor for virtual tours and another for print. Some agents have claimed that the quality of the materials available from the Imprev system have won them listings and certainly reduce the cost of carrying a listing over time.

Digital printing is available directly from the Agent Marketing Center through several integrated print partners. An optional email management module allows scheduling of email newsletters, in addition to automating CAN-SPAM compliance and tracking how many people received and opened your message. All designs (including print templates) can be posted directly to the internet or sent in emails. Imprev also supports posting of virtual tours to Realtor.com or IDX output for inclusion in your local MLS.

In preparing this overview, we looked at comments by users on real estate discussion groups and found only positive comments about Imprev’s quality of design, ease of use and customer service. Specific quotes included “user friendly,” “distinct” and “unique” designs. Imprev is also known for customer service and provides training and technical support for users.

Color for Real Estate / Marketing for Properties

Year Founded: acquired by Merrill Communications (printer) in 2004

Licensed Users: 289,000 (source: company website as of April 24, 2008)

Summary: Color for Real Estate is a viable option if you have an immediate need for print materials and don’t have a solution already in place. If you have an ongoing need for printing, if you want a single solution for all your marketing needs, or if you want an agency-quality look and feel, another provider may serve you better.

Description: Color for Real Estate is essentially a printer. They are owned by Merrill Communications, one of the largest printers in the real estate industry. They provide templates for a wide variety of print materials – postcards, brochures, flyers, refrigerator magnets, etc.

Color for Real Estate claims to have 289,000 users, but because it is a per-use system, it’s hard to say how this number compares to the active licensed users reported by suppliers that charge an annual fee.

Color for Real Estate only covers print materials (its sister site, Marketing for Property has a section for virtual tours, but we were unable to navigate the site in order to verify that these could be ordered). Its printing fees are relatively expensive (perhaps a premium of 50% versus providers that charge an annual fee to use their system). If you run the math, you’re better off using one of the providers that charges an annual fee, if you produce more than a certain number of print pieces per year.

That said, they make it very easy to create a print piece and send it to their printers. User feedback on online message boards seems to be positive, although not as effusive about the quality of design.